Heavy rainfall may have been the culprit in the death of an 11-year-old girl who was killed yesterday after being struck by a boulder during a hike in San Bernardino, reports ABC News. The girl, whose name hasn't been released, was hit on the head by the falling rock while hiking near a waterfall at Forest Falls. She was pronounced dead at the scene. more ›

California Governor Jerry Brown is expected to announce soon that our state's drought is over, thanks to a season of heavy rains. "Brown is expected to lift the state's 3-year-old drought declaration Wednesday, when the next snow survey is conducted," according to the LA Times. more ›

The heavy rains pounding the hillsides and concrete of Los Angeles has a very specific trickle-down effect when it comes to the Pacific. Called "urban runoff," the rush of water spewing into the ocean from storm drains puts beach-goers at risk because of high bacteria levels. Not that you were likely planning to take a dip down at the beach this week, but, just in case: "A Rain Advisory has been declared for all Los Angeles County beaches. The advisory will be in effect until 2:00 p.m. Thursday, December 23." more ›

We're on Day Three of a long, wet, hazardous system of rainstorms in Southern California, and though it may be drizzling right now, the forecast is calling for even heavier rains--the heaviest yet since the storms began late Friday night--to move in later today. There is a chance of mudslides and floods in the recent burn areas, a portion of PCH is closed, and there's been record rainfalls. Here's some basic info about the wet weather: more ›

Thought this week of stormy weather was one for the record books? Turns out that on this day 67 years ago was the real record-setter. "The greatest daily rainfall recorded in California was 26.12 inches on January 23, 1943 at Hoegees near Mt. Wilson in the San Gabriel Mountains. Fifteen other stations reported over 20 inches in two days from the same storm. Forty-five others reported 70 percent of the average annual rainfall in two days," explains the almighty Wikipedia (citing Historic Rainstorms in California by James Goodridge). As we heralded today's glorious return of SoCal sunshine we mentioned that between Tuesday-Friday the San Gabriel dam logged 6.37 inches of rainfall. A mere drop in the bucket compared to those 1943 numbers, hmm? more ›

After a week of violent storms that brought heavy rains, hail, and the threat of great destruction to Los Angeles, and snow to local mountains, today we're getting a reprieve from the wet weather. Rainfall totals reveal just how soaked we were, as reported by KTLA: "Between 10 Tuesday night and 5p.m. Friday, rainfall was measured at 6.37 inches at the San Gabriel Dam; 4.41 inches at Sepulveda Canyon at Mulholland; 4.38 inches in Newhall; 3.41 inches in Long Beach; 3.40 inches in Van Nuys; 3.38 inches at the Hollywood Reservoir; 3.23 inches in Bel Air; and 2.53 inches in downtown Los Angeles." But the sun will last at least through the weekend, and while there is a weaker storm system due to arrive in Southern California Monday or Tuesday, it may in fact miss the LA-area entirely. more ›

The rain returned to SoCal Thursday night and hung on most of yesterday. And the wet weather continues today and into tomorrow. Much of the region is under a winter storm warning, in fact, as this current system is expected to bring heavy snow and gusty winds to the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The National Weather Service's forecast is pretty grim, as it calls for periods of rain and snow to "increase in intensity this afternoon then continue heavy at times through early Sunday morning," when the precipitation will likely begin to wind down. more ›

A long summer of hot-hot-hot heat means lots of beach days for Southern Californians. Now that the season is wrapped up, Heal the Bay has released their annual Summer Beach Report Card [PDF]. The non-profit group graded nearly 500 beaches statewide based on bacterial pollution levels monitored from Memorial Day to Labor Day this year, according to their release, and the news is generally pretty good. more ›

The weather gods spared our weekend, but come tonight, the dry spell is over (and no, that's not a post-Valentine's Day nookie reference). We're talking rain, and lots of it. more ›

The storm that soaked Southern California yesterday brought soggy hillsides down in some areas, and more rain is on the way today. The mud came sliding down in two separate locations in Sylmar last night, and a third mudslide was reported in Sierra Madre. more ›

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This photograph, submitted earlier this week to our LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr, show's an office-eyes' view of those menacing storm clouds that swept over Los Angeles earlier this week and let loose a torrent of rain. Thankfully the December rainstorm allowed us to add to our rainfall total and escape having this rain year (not the same as a calendar year, it turns out) go down as the driest on record. That dubious honor goes to the last rain year. In any event, this photograph shows that proverbial calm before the storm, and might remind us to be thankful we're neither buried in blizzards or blazing hot right now. more ›